Farewell, John Piper - A Subversive Article
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https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-reason-to-be-vaccinated-freedom
- 00:07
- All right, so let's talk about this John Piper article about vaccination. Now, this article, in my opinion, is one of the most sneakily subversive things that I've read maybe ever.
- 00:22
- And that's saying something because the subversion out there is just through the roof. And Big Eva is notorious for writing subversive documents.
- 00:31
- You know, like remember the Brett McCracken one where he's like, you got to live a counter cultural life as a Christian and every point of his gospel counter culturalism was essentially exactly what
- 00:42
- MSNBC was pushing, all the pagans, all the demons out there, the same narrative they were pushing. He was pretending that that's how you become a gospel counter cultural, whatever subversive.
- 00:53
- That's what they do. This article is along those same lines. I think, in my opinion, I have no proof of this, no evidence of this.
- 01:00
- Well, I do have evidence of it, but it's, you know, this is my opinion. Put it that way.
- 01:07
- In my opinion, John Piper was looking for a way to push the narrative without losing his conservative bona fides and without lying, because this article actually, it doesn't really intentionally lie.
- 01:18
- I think he ends up lying because he is naive about the sources that he cites. That's a side issue, though.
- 01:24
- The point that he's trying to make in this article, I actually agree with, but I still think it's subversive.
- 01:30
- I think it's sneaky. And again, I think this article was born out of a desire to push the official narratives, to push the
- 01:38
- Great Reset agenda without saying something obviously theologically incorrect about the vaccines.
- 01:45
- And so this is what the result was. And so he's pushing, he's getting the point across he wants to get across.
- 01:52
- He's pushing the narrative. He's playing ball with the pagans, but he's doing so in a sneakily subversive way.
- 01:58
- I'm going to tell you what I mean. Now, if you want to check out this article, it's called A Reason to be Vaccinated, Freedom.
- 02:05
- And that's a bit of a clickbaity title, which is fine. I have no problem with clickbait. And it also is available on audio.
- 02:12
- If you want to listen to it in a very, you know, overly dramatic, I'm about to cry kind of way, then you can listen to him read it himself and all of that.
- 02:21
- But here is what the article says. And I'm going to comment. I might not read the whole thing, but I'm going to comment as we go.
- 02:28
- And hopefully you'll find this helpful. But all right, here we go. Actually, you know what?
- 02:34
- Let me flip a coin first. I'm going to leave this up to the coin flip. All right,
- 02:41
- I'm going to be nice. All right, quote, my aim in this article is to encourage
- 02:48
- Christians to be vaccinated if they can do so with a good conscience and judicious medical warrant.
- 02:56
- The people I have especially in view are those who are not vaccinated because of fear of being out of step with the people they respect and in step with people they don't admire.
- 03:08
- My message to them is simple. You are free. Now, let's stop the article right there.
- 03:17
- This is where the subversion hits you in the face right away. So this article is directed at the people, and I would assume that John Piper thinks or at least wants you to believe that this is a lot of people, because otherwise, why write the article?
- 03:34
- Right. Like if if there's something that like point zero zero zero one percent of the population suffers from, like it would be very pointless to write an article for a very major ministry about that exact proportion of people.
- 03:48
- So in his mind, this is a lot of people that that they haven't gotten the vaccine, but they believe in the vaccine.
- 03:55
- They think it's good. It's morally good. Maybe even God wants them to get it. And they think it works.
- 04:02
- You know, number two, and that the only reason they haven't gotten is not because they don't want to.
- 04:08
- Like me, I just don't want to. I'm not scared of coronavirus. It's not because of that. It's not because of of anything legitimate.
- 04:14
- It's only because they're they've got a fear of man problem. They're worried about what their friends that they respect are going to think or the people they respect are going to think.
- 04:22
- And they're worried about looking like they're going along with the zeitgeist. And that's the only reason they haven't got it.
- 04:29
- They believe it's loving your neighbor. You know, they believe all that. But they haven't gotten vaccinated because they have a fear of man problem.
- 04:36
- And his message to them is you are free. So that's what he means by freedom. Right. He means that you're free to not worry about the peer pressure and to just do what you want to do and what you believe
- 04:47
- God wants you to do the morally good thing. So so this is where the subversion starts, because that's true, right?
- 04:57
- Yeah, that's true. If you're not getting the vaccine, because you're afraid of peer pressure, and the pressure is on to not get the vaccine, but you really think it's good, and that's the only reason you haven't got it is peer pressure.
- 05:10
- Well, that's not a godly reason to get to not get the vaccine. Right. That's that's not a godly reason.
- 05:16
- So he's right. You can't really argue with that. But that first of all,
- 05:22
- I don't think any people at this point in October, it's mid October 2021.
- 05:27
- At this point, there's so few people that are in that position that it's it's it's obviously an intentional subversion.
- 05:36
- Because when you think about what's actually happening in our culture and in our churches and from every major ministry and from every major political source and from every official source, it's actually the opposite.
- 05:51
- People don't want to get the vaccine. They don't think it works. They have questions about the abortion cells and all that kind of stuff.
- 05:58
- They have questions about the tyranny they have. But they're being peer pressured to get the vaccine.
- 06:05
- So you see, this is a subversion of reality. John Piper's reality is the opposite of what real reality is.
- 06:12
- Now, I don't think it's the opposite. I think John Piper knows full well that there are hardly any people that fit the category that he's describing.
- 06:20
- But there are tons of people that fit the opposite category. Do you see how subversive this is?
- 06:27
- This is a a complete upside down reality. And so so he's right.
- 06:33
- You are free to not succumb to peer pressure and follow God. But the thing is, the people he's writing to are not in that predicament.
- 06:43
- In fact, they're in the opposite predicament where the people that want them to get the vaccine are manipulating them.
- 06:49
- They're telling them it's loving your neighbor. It's the law of God. It's a matter of sin. They're telling them that it's totally safe and the numbers are without question.
- 06:58
- It's totally nobody. They're the ones that are being pressured into getting the vaccine. Not the other way around.
- 07:04
- And so this article, John Piper, is upside down. And so I'm left with a couple options here, right?
- 07:11
- And this is always the question. Is it that you just don't understand? Or are you intentionally being subversive?
- 07:20
- And so I understand why there's a debate here, because we can't see inside your soul. We can't see your intentions.
- 07:26
- But I am of the opinion that John Piper is actually quite smart. I think he's quite smart.
- 07:32
- And a lot of people and I agree when it comes to application, he's a train wreck and he is a train wreck when it comes to application for any kind of counter the narrative type of application.
- 07:45
- I think he's a train wreck. But this article is so subversive that I have to. This has to be an intentional choice.
- 07:52
- I don't know. I don't know. But you see right off the bat, the subversion is just off the charts.
- 08:00
- Let's get into it a little bit more. He says this. So I'm not talking directly to everybody.
- 08:06
- If the shoe fits, put it on and check your conscience. Consult your doctor and go get vaccinated.
- 08:13
- If it doesn't tearfully and cheerfully on your way, tearfully because over 4 .5 million people have died of COVID worldwide, including 700 ,000
- 08:21
- Americans and cheerfully because Christ makes it miraculously possible to love people by being sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
- 08:29
- So you see, this is so he just got done subverting everything. This is upside down.
- 08:35
- This is opposite. This is calling up, down, left, right, east, west, north, south. This is opposite land.
- 08:42
- And as soon as he subverts the narrative, the next thing is official narrative. Get get your consult your doctor.
- 08:49
- Go get vaccinated. Like this is so sneaky, guys. It is so sneaky.
- 08:56
- And then, of course, and this is what most people notice about this article. And they're right. They're 100 % right.
- 09:02
- What most people noticed is that he starts quoting statistics that are highly questionable as if they're obvious facts.
- 09:10
- And the reason he's doing it is to, again, manipulate you into thinking what a selfish jerk you're being if you're not getting the vaccine.
- 09:19
- Right. If you're not getting the vaccine, all of this is pumping the narrative in a way that is least likely to lose him his conservative bona fides.
- 09:30
- That is my opinion. And it's so disgusting. If you're going to lie to me, lie to me straight up.
- 09:35
- Tell me that getting the vaccine is loving your neighbor as yourself. Tell me it's a matter of sin. It's the law of God.
- 09:40
- I've got to get the vaccine. I appreciate the straightforward lie from Satan, at least in that point.
- 09:46
- This subversive stuff is what really irks me. This is what really gets me, you know, get a lie to me, lie to me straight up.
- 09:53
- But this kind of subversion where you're in opposite land and so that's what makes it a lie.
- 09:59
- I just, I have no stomach for it, guys. I have no stomach for it. Let's read a little bit more.
- 10:05
- I think I've made my point, my primary point, but let me continue reading just to do it a little bit more justice.
- 10:11
- Before I get to the biblical argument for radical freedom, consider a few statistics that fuel the fire over which this article was cooked.
- 10:22
- My goodness. One, nearly all COVID -19 deaths are in the U .S. are now in people who weren't vaccinated.
- 10:29
- Infections in fully vaccinated people account for fewer than 1 ,200 of more than 107 ,000. Like like,
- 10:35
- OK, so this is what he's quoting the AP, and these are highly questionable numbers. There's so much censorship right now.
- 10:40
- And this is censorship. That's not just like we assume it's happening. Like there is censorship that we know is happening.
- 10:47
- YouTube doesn't let you talk about vaccinations and stuff like that unless you're a pro -vaccine vaccine. I don't know why they haven't censored my channel yet.
- 10:54
- Maybe they will censor this video. Who knows? But I'm just waiting for them to cancel me so I could just go full bore on Gab TV, whatever.
- 11:01
- Like highly questionable. He just puts it out there as a fact. So he ends up lying through other people in this article, whatever.
- 11:08
- Indiana saw 3 ,801 coronavirus deaths between blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Ninety four percent of them unvaccinated.
- 11:17
- In Montana from February, blah, blah, blah, 89 percent of the cases were unvaccinated. More than 95 percent of the 443 people under the age of 60 who died from COVID were unvaccinated.
- 11:29
- So you see the drumbeat of this article, it is get vaccinated, you selfish jerk.
- 11:35
- Get vaccinated, you selfish jerk. Oh, by the way, I'm only talking to those people that are not getting vaccinated because they're scared of their friends who are not going to respect them.
- 11:45
- Those are the only people I'm talking to. That's his escape hatch. Right. I'm not really saying you got to get vaccinated, but he really is saying that because his escape hatch is a freaking lie.
- 11:55
- It's a subversion. It's the opposite of what reality is. It's the peer pressure is coming all from the pro vaccine people.
- 12:03
- And by the way, it's coming from John Piper as well. He's what he's part of the crew that's peer pressuring everybody.
- 12:10
- And then he's pretending that it's the other team that's peer pressuring everybody. Guys, this is so twisted.
- 12:18
- This is so twisted. People are getting fired for not getting vaccinated. I've got people close to me that have had to make these choices and are facing termination if they don't get vaccinated and they're, you know, they're trusting
- 12:30
- God and they're going to be fine and I'm going to help them whatever I have to do. But the thing is, like, like nobody's getting fired for being vaccinated, guys.
- 12:41
- And John Piper's universe, that's where all the pressure is coming from. It's all those people that are pressuring you not to get vaccine.
- 12:48
- That's where you got to worry about those people. This is such a subversive piece of trash.
- 12:55
- I just can't believe that he's done this. This is the worst case scenario, guys. Like when I saw this article,
- 13:00
- I thought it was going to be that, you know, freedom as in, you know, we have the freedom to now go to the shopping mall and go fishing.
- 13:07
- And, you know, by the way, I've been fishing lately. Whoo. This weekend, I got a three point three pound eleven ouncer big boy.
- 13:15
- It was a man. It was massive. Anyway, but but that's what I thought was going to be is like,
- 13:20
- OK, you got to submit to slavery by getting vaccinated like a piece of cattle because just because they say so in order to have your freedom.
- 13:28
- That's what I thought he was going to say. But then he didn't say that. He he he he he he tricked he faked me out.
- 13:34
- But but I'd actually prefer the other argument because at least it's more honest about its deception.
- 13:40
- You know what I mean? It's more honest about its lie, if that makes sense. But the subversiveness of this, the sneakiness of these lies,
- 13:49
- I'm done with this. I'm not going to read any more of this. I can't. I've read the whole thing myself. I'm just not going to read any more in this video because I can see myself getting a little bit worked up.
- 13:57
- And I'm according to the coin flip, I was supposed to be nice. But anyway, but yes,
- 14:03
- I think I think I've made my point at this point. Like John Piper, you know, Doug Wilson's article about the changing of the guard and stuff like that, to me,
- 14:14
- I feel like John Piper for a lot of people. And I'm not saying everybody, but I'll speak for myself. John Piper was one of those guys that I want to hold on to more aggressively.
- 14:24
- Like I was I was totally fine. Stop. Stop. Stop respecting Matt Chandler. Whatever.
- 14:30
- I don't have to read another Matt Chandler book for the rest of my whole life. I don't care. Tim Keller, I was fine leaving, although, you know, that was a little harder than Matt Chandler.
- 14:37
- I would say, you know, Platt. Who cares? Like stuff like that. Like I'm not going to take their advice anymore. They're not they're not capable of leading in this time.
- 14:47
- John Piper is one I wanted to hold on to, man, one I wanted to hold on to. And it's it's gone.
- 14:53
- There's just no more. He's pumping the zeitgeist in the sneakiest of ways.
- 14:59
- And to me, that's worse. I'd rather read a David Platt book at this point. Anyway, I hope you found this video helpful.
- 15:07
- God bless. By the way,
- 15:15
- I want to save myself a few comments that are unnecessary. So by the way, if you disagree with me,
- 15:22
- I like reading your comments, but I this one would be unnecessary if you commented thus, because later in the article, he says how you shouldn't be peer pressured either way.
- 15:30
- Right. And I get that. I understand. But the point is that the article is written towards a peer pressure that simply does not exist while completely downplaying the peer pressure of things that actually do exist.
- 15:46
- So he does say that, you know, we're not obligated to to bow down to a vaccine mandate.
- 15:51
- Great. That's great. But that's not what this article is about. By the way, this article is written to the kind of peer pressure that doesn't exist.
- 15:58
- But even when he does that, he's still on narrative. Listen, listen to how he goes on from there.
- 16:03
- No Christian is obliged to bow to unwarranted mandates. Great. But that's not my point.
- 16:09
- My point is this. Don't be enslaved by fear of man. Don't be enslaved by fear of breaking ranks with ideological allies.
- 16:16
- The old name for this is peer pressure. You are free. Listen to his points here.
- 16:22
- You have considered the risk of Covid after you watch hundreds of thousands of people die. OK, very serious.
- 16:27
- You have considered the short and long term risks of the vaccines as you watch millions get the shot. So you see, he's kind of he's he's he's flipping the narrative, right?
- 16:35
- Like, is that what kind of a what kind of a pig would be like, well, I watch millions get the shot, but then
- 16:41
- I watch hundreds of thousands of people die. And it's like, let's weigh it out. Like, if that's really the case, which, by the way, he's using fake data there.
- 16:49
- But, you know, he's he's he's got his finger on the scale here. That's the point. He's got his finger on the scale the entire time while he's saying, yeah, but, you know, the left or right pressure.
- 16:59
- He did the same thing in the voting article. He did the same thing in the voting article. The article was about voting for not voting for Trump, but he wrote it in such a way that he could be plausibly be like, yeah, but, you know,
- 17:09
- I'm not saying go for Biden. The same exact thing. This is his recipe. This is his recipe.
- 17:16
- You have compared the frequency of hospitalizations and death of those with and without vaccines. He just got done telling you that basically everyone is getting the that's not getting the vaccine is in going to death in the hospital.
- 17:27
- You have thought long and hard about the fetal cell lines and the production testing the vaccines. So, yeah, you thought so, you know, people are going to the hospital, but then you're thinking so you see like, again, the fingers on the scale here.
- 17:38
- You've rejoiced at the increasing evidence that natural immunity is as effective as vaccination immunity.
- 17:43
- By the way, he's like behind the news cycle, like it's already obvious that the natural immunity is better than vaccine immunity, which, by the way, it was already obvious before the data came out.
- 17:53
- But now that the data is out, it's even more obvious anyway. And then he talked about, of course, the conspiratorial conjectures.
- 17:59
- Right. So like you can see the whole time is he's so imbalanced in this. So he you can see what he's saying, even though he gives himself an escape hatch to have some plausible deniability for really saying what he's saying.
- 18:11
- He's pumping the narrative in the most subversive way. And at that point, it's again, it's got to be farewell.